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N. D. CALCULLI.

ORTHOPEDIC METATARSAL ARCH SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17. I92].

Patented July 26, 1921.

/NVEIVTOR TORNEY UNITED ST T S TENT Wm nulvzro' n. o-ALcULLI, or NEW-YORK, iv. Y,

ORTHOPEDIC' METATARSAL ARCH-SUPPORT.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, NuNzIoD. GALOULLI, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Orthopedic Metatarsal Arch-Supports, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to orthopedic arch supports and has particular reference to such devices as are adapted not only for supporting the arch but also for the support of the metatarsal portion of the foot and the relief from. pressure of any localized soreness in such region.

Among the objects, therefore, of my invention is to providean arch support of the general nature indicated having peculiarly arranged cushioning. and reslllent devices for different parts of the sole of the foot as well as providing a suitable support for the arch or instep.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction most readily adaptable not only for any size or shape of foot but also to giverelief or support to any portion of the foot. Y

With the foregoing .and'other objects in view the invention consists in the arrange ment and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details; of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my invention, the cover being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a vertlcal longitudinal section of Fig. 3 is a vertical transversesection on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing especially theshape of the side supports.

able tough and slightly flexible material,-

such as sole leather, cork composition, or the like, shaped to conform to the heel and arch portions of the-sole and having inner and outer upturned side supports 11 and 12. The bounding edge of this piece of ma- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 1$; 26 1921 Application filed February 17, 1921. Serial in. 445,774.

preferably is skived down to make it relatively'thin for obvious reasons of comfort to the wearer.

The central portion of the bottom surface of this body strip 10 is recessed at 13 so as to make it relatively thin along its central portion while the side portions surroundlng the recess 13 remain of materially greater thickness and hence stiffness.

The thin portion 1a of the body above the, recess is transversely slitted at 15 and 16 and projecting upward through these slit s are the end portions of a piece of flat sprmgmaterial 17-, the central or main portion of which lies longitudinally along the recess-13. The spring is so shaped that said end portions tend to be held elevated above the corresponding portions of the body member 10, the rear end ofthe spring cor- 'is'thereby held normally elevated from the heel portion of the body. Likewise another plate .19, preferably of convex or spoon shape is attached to the forward end of the spring and so is held elevated thereby. This plate 19 may be attached to the spring by any suitable means, as by soldering and is so arranged or designed as to afford relief from pressure of the foot which would otherwise be received upon any localized sore or weak spots of the metatarsal portion of the foot, to the extent of the strength of the spring supporting the plate 19. That is to say, if a person is suffering from a corn -or the like at the ball of the foot in the region of the plate 19, the position of the plate will be so determined as to bear upward on the foot at one side of the afllicted spot, thus affording not only temporary relief but an opportunity for the disturbance to be cured. The spring 17 naturally is held from lateral movement by means of the slits through which it projects, and is held from endwise displacement by any suitable means cooperating with the body 10 such as a rivet 20.

The side flanges or wings 11 and 12 are designed and made and shaped to fit the requirements of any individual foot but extendin well upward along the sides of the foot a rd unusually .good protection for such portions of the wearers foot.

A body stiffening member 21 is attached to the body by any suitable means such as cement and conforms substantially in outline to the recess 13, the edges of the stiffening member 21 being skived off so as to eonform approximately to the shape of the foot or the shape of the shoe intendedfor such pedic sole archsupports during a large num-,

ber ofyearsI have found that the mechanism disclosed herein is peculiarly well adapted for the purposes set forth and adds greatly to the comfort of the wearer.

It is'to be noted that the plates approximate in thickness the thickness of the body.

of the device above the spring and adjacent to the slits, and hence the upper surfaces of the plates in practice lie substantially flush with that portion of the body 5 above the 'spring,and said platesmay be perforated as shown for ventilation or'thelike,

1. The herein described archsupport, comrisi a main portion, having a. recess orme in'its bottom surface, a spring extending longitudinal}; along said recess and S projecting at its en upward through the upper surface of the main portion and spaced therefrom, and a pair of platesattached to the respective ends of the spring and serving to resiliently support the heel and metatarsal portions of the foot.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the main portion is transversely slitted, the

front end of the spring projecting upward from the said member in spaced relation to the ball portion thereof, and a plate attached to said forward end ofthe spring and there by held resiliently spaced from the ball portion of the device. 4. A device as set forth in claim 3in which the plate is of approximately spoon shape.

5. A device as set forth herein comprising a rigid arch member having an upper portion having itsmargin shaped to conform to the shape of the foot, and recessed "in its lower surface, a lower portion fittedin said recess,a spring of fiat material extending along said recessbetween the two portions "and projectin at its ends upward above the heel and bal portions thereof, a pair of plates attached; to said upwardly extending spring ends and so held resiliently spaced normally from the member first mentioned,

and a cover of soft pliable material entirely inclosing all'of the aforesaid parts;

In testimony whereof I aflix nature. 

